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Amid spotty protest strikes across Europe over austerity measures, the EU statistics office reported a 2.5% decline in eurozone factory output in September from August, wider than the 1.9% forecast by economists. Meanwhile, surveys of businesses point to the worst downturn in the eurozone since 2009.

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New investment, particularly in mining, should continue to lift Australia's economy in the coming year, according to a survey by Westpac Banking and Melbourne Institute. However, "our expectation is that the spending peak will be around year end or early in 2014," said Westpac chief economist Bill Evans.

South Korea's stock market performance places it well down the list of 49 ranked markets, in 31st place with a 3.5% return so far this year, according to Morgan Stanley Capital International. Hong Kong is ninth with a 19.7% return, China is 23rd with 9.3%, and just ahead of South Korea is Japan in 30th place with 5%.

Annualized growth in India's wholesale price index pulled back to 7.45% last month from 7.81% in September, but the move is considered unlikely to persuade the central bank to ease policy. Indian industry used the latest figure to press its case for a rate cut while also noting sluggish growth indicators.

European and U.S. shares declined Wednesday over the usual worries associated with the U.S. "fiscal cliff" and the eurozone crisis, but the U.S. market took a sharper downturn as fighting broke out between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza. The Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.91% to 268.14, and the S&P 500 fell 1.39% to 1,355.49. Here is a continuously updated list of global stock indexes.